HealthTec Hands-on Health Day at Aylesbury College

As part of our Health and Social Care course, our class attended Aylesbury College for a NHS health experience day.

The first skill we learned was how to stop someone from choking. We were provided with vests, which show you how to unblock someone’s airways by directing where you hit someone on the back and how to perform an abdominal thrust.

We also had the opportunity to perform CPR on a dummy, which showed correct chest compressions, as well as how to operate a defibrillator. We then put our skills to the test in the simulation room where a mock cardiac arrest was set up outside Vandyke. We had to consider all aspects of the emergency such as the dangers presented in emergencies, how to deal with an unconscious patient and communicating effectively with our peers. We also had the chance to take our vitals, including our blood pressure, temperature, oxygen saturation and our heart rate, with updated technology used within the NHS such as an instant thermometer.

Overall the day was a useful experience as it ensured we are capable of performing basic first aid, which is a vital skill that can be applied throughout your life. We were also made aware of the various alternative roles within the NHS that you would not normally consider, such as an architect, wig maker and estates management which are key in the operation of the NHS.